Process of making tire-casings.



J. D. `TEW. PROCESS 0F MAKNG TIES CASINGS`V APPucmoN mso Aus.13.19|4.

Patented Get. 9,1917.

3 SHEETS--SHEET Y I. D. TEW. PROCESS 0F MKING URE CASINGS. APPLICATION mm Mm.13.wx4i

1,242,270. Patented Oct. 9,1917.

3 SHETS*SHET 2.

J. D. TEW.

PROCESS 0F MAxxNG mi cAswGs.

MFLICAUUN fILEU AUGJIL NH4.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

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UMTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. TEW, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE B. F, GOODRICH COMPANY, F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF MAKING TIIRECASINGS.

Speication of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. 9, 19171 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES zen. of the in the cou D. TEW, a. citi- United States, residing; at Akron, nty of Summit and State of Ohio,

have invented a certain new and useful lin-- provemont in lrooeeeee of Making Tlre- (heilige, of wlnnh the following is a Tull,

clear, sind exact description, reference being had lo the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a method of maktire casings of cords of sufficiently lirge size so that a 'Een' layers of cords (preferzihly two) shall be Sufficient to glve the required strength in the casing. Tires` are ordinarily In ide of fabric, u

canvas or other strong woven sullicient number of plies boing used one on lop of another to furnish the rrtl- .red strengthns many as eight phon being employed in the larger ot' tirrst They have been innde also of ninny t'wisteil threads laid parallel to euch other either oircumferentnilly or trunsforsely of the tire,

or :it any number o intermediate angle, a considerable f plies of such parallel threads being used :is in the Canvas: tire, to build up the rrquii ed structure.

Another method of milking tire cusinge coneiste in ming rords oi' :i snlhriuntly large size so Ihn t two plie-s only of such corde' laid lrmLuen'srly oi thil casing from one houd to the olhur, elniil 'furnish 'the required strength. .in .euch musings the (,-orils usually crliss; the

plano ol: ti

1e tir(` ohliquol'i"y being laid :it such :ingle as is fichu-mined by the particular rcquironients of the tire; lhe cords in the two plies crossing euch other :it complementary but two p internal friction und livre grenlri d herr :iro gfreul advantages in inging lil-s, :in auch V,truiclurr reduces lho uruhilii'y the ri-rute :it lln beu words nt tl r circulnl'rrein-e al. the trend than d results in openings between the ic trend, though the corde :1re laid in close contant zit thc bend. This opening, it' round corde :irc used.y is so fargo us to he seriously dvtrinwntnl to thu lire, requiring of rulilirr to properly till the .sonore between the words and lo hind them loge ther. wenken tl This ext-ese of rubber tends to ie tire by coming e tendency of the cords to separate, due to the action in the tire structure when 'in use, and t'he resulting destruction of the tire. certain amount of rubber between tho Cords ut and near. the tread of the tire is desirable, imparting to the tire n high degree of resiliency and making it very efiicient in. its conbunil tion of power in nee; hut this intermediate rubber must be definitely limited t0 an amount very materially less than would be required if round corde are used.

In order to overcome the diliiculti' stated, lires have been made of flattened cords which are luid @dgl-,Wise to the plane of the tiro` il the bend :und turned flniwisc on the trend to cause them to occupy a greater width und thcrrny filling the structure not- Withsniuling the linger periphery nt the troneig but Aeinh cords nre difiilzull'` to nmnipnY lote in the cmistrurtion of the tire, and they nndliiy ihiclrcn the sidee-` of the tire. reduc ing its flexibility. Moreover, thereie dem ger of injurvir to the cord in flattening it, where, hercl'ofwrei the flattening hns been accomplished hy [mening a round cord be tween hard nnjcielding rolls.

In my proveen l build up the tire casing of round cord loidat the required angle on :i former, to form :i lily. This pl),v :1S luid hu.Q relatively uidf gni between tho corde u1 thc trnd portion of tiro. which I close .to the rcquircd degree by flotlening the cords by pressure niter the Cords are laid.

To rendi-r theiordinore easily flattened, l employ. pref@ nhl): :i hollow cord of suirieni' stilfness to retain its shape While being luid but which ifeeoft nud flexible enough to bv meily flullrnoll nrwrding to 1lie sparo provldrd for it whoul unduly straining' the material of' llirjnoril. `.\lyproclss, thorofore, consists brondiv of Ihe steps ol placing soft or hollow nei-"ile in position for a lire` mixing being formed und fiuttening sin-h cords while they ire 'in iiluce. "The process includes also other pl'jclilrred steps, :is hereinafter oxpluinell.,

ln the prefer-ril why inf carrying out the prorces I wind n hollow riibberimpregnzlled vcord spirnlly with u1 large lead about an :innnlnr former which lrnbeen covered by :i rubber envelop Thin` produces u ply or layer of cord lenft The ord lengths are upproxinmtely rilund when luid end uro of euliioient stiifncse to hold lhhir Fhnfe Whiley being laid, but, Vwhen in place, are submitted to pressure to flatten them as desired. The first ply ,of cords is surmounted by a sheet of rubber and another ply of hollow cords is placed outside of this with its individual cord lengths crossing those ofthe first ply. The second ly of cords is also flattened, and outside ofp it are placed the usual tread and finishing portion of the tire. The pressure which Bettens the cords may be applied to each layer before a subsequent layer is laid, by external rolling pressure or by blows, as hereinafter .described, or the various layers may be flattened together by pressure,-for example, that doc to the usual vulcanizing process against an external mold.

The hollow cord which I use in carrying' out my process is preferablymade by twist-` ing rubber-impregnated strands about a. hollow center and cementing them together. Such cord forms the subject-matter of my cti-pending application No. 800,337, tiled November l1, 1913. The tire casing produced with such cord and by the present process is the subject-matter of my pending application No. 833,248, liled April 20th, 1914. Y

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a, tire constructed by my process, thelouter rubber tread and also part of the outer ply of cords being brokenA away; Fig. 2 is escctional side elevation Oi n portion of such tire, the section being taken in the mid-plane of the tire. In this view the flattened cords are shown conventionally,

instead of the individual strands showing,

as in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the tire. ln this view half of the cords are shown as made up of individual strands, and the others are shown conventionally. Fig. 4 is a perspective View, on a smaller scale, of the annular former and some of the izords constituting the first ply, this view illustrating the manner in which the cords are laid; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a. sccI tion of the cord on an enlarged scale.

Referringr first to the completed tire as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, A represents the inner ply made of hollow, twisted, flattened cords, and c individual strands thereof. Such a cord, before flattening, is shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4, where e indicates the individual strands and a2 the hollow center or bore. tioned, these hollow, twisted cords are composed of cemented strands individually impregnated with rubber.

B, in th'e drawings, indicates rubber which fills the'space between the cords of each ply and between the plies of cords. Surmounting the outer plv of cords, inthe completed tire, is the usual rubber tread portion C extending down onto the sides of the tire.

Near their inner ends the oord plies are` co-v turned outwardly, as shown at A? and are embedded in the beads consisting of inward extensions D and clenchers D1. The beads are preferably covered with one or more layers of fabric E which extend about them and beneath the inner edge of the rubber cover C. Such .beads constitute the usual means of clenching the tire tothe rim.

In Fig. 4,' F indicates a suitable former, which consists of an annular ring, the cross section of which may be round or somewhat o'val and which is made up of separable sec tions f. In the manufacture of the tire, a cover of sheet rubber G is first put on the former, and the round hollow cord A is wound about the same to make the first ply.

In the preferred operation of'lny process,

I wind the round cord, constituting' the inner ply A, continuously in a spiral of considerable pitch about the former, so as to make several trips completely around the former to finish the ply.

When this ply is completed the cords are flattened. This may be done by, preing a roller against them over this and then the next ply is wound in the same manner but in the opposite direction; and flattened; then a layer of rubber is placed over it, and the usual breaker strip and tread are applied. After the structure is thus completed it is severed along the Vinner periphery of Athe former, and the former is collapsed and removed. Then the severed ends of the plies are turned outwardly, as shown in Fig. 3and the beads are formed thereon. The whole casing is then vulcanized with the usual internal pressure.

If desired,` instead of rolling the applied cords to flatten them, they may be left round until the casing is vulcanized, the internal pressure applied to the casing in the process .of vulcanization 'effecting the flattening. I

have produced the best results, however, by flatteningv them' either by rolling pressure duringr the buildingr up of the casing or by hammering the cords with lig-ht rapid blows, as for instance by the use of a pneumatic hammer. This latter method presentsl the advantage of having less tendency to displace the cords transversely than the rolling, leaving them after flattening exactly in the position in which they were laid.

t will be seen that by my process a tire having flattened cords may be made with great rapidity and without subjecting the cords to undue strain. A The laying ofround cords is a much simpler matter than to lay cord, which is stiff enough to retain its shape when laidbut is capable of being atte'ned 130 under pressure, I am enabled to produce the desired fiat cord structure while availing myself of the ense of laying appertaining to round cords. Moreover, because my cords are flattened after being put in position I can maintain just the desired amount of rubber between the different reaches and can also obtain more nearly a uniform thickness throughout the structure, increasing the efficiency and desirability of the product produced.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

l. The method of manufacturing tire casings by the use of cord, comprising the steps of laying cord lengths side by side about a transversely curved former to make an annular ply of substantially tire shape, and flattening a portion of each cord length following the laying thereof.

2. The process of the character set out in claim 1, wherein each iortion of the cord when laid is round but 1s of such character that it may be flattened by moderate pressure.

fi. The process of the character set out in claim l, wherein a hollow cord is employed whereby it may be readily flattened in place. 4 `4. The process ofA making tire casngs comprising laying' cord lengths about an an: nular former to build up a pl K and fi'nttening each cord in the region o the tread by pressure from the outside directed inwardly and opposed by the former.

5. The process as set 'out in claim 4,

wherein a round cord is employed bf suilicient-stilness to hold its shape while being laid but adapted to be flattened by a com 40 parativcly moderate pressure during the process of making the carcass.

6. The process of making carcasses for dire casings comprising the laying of cord `lengths about al tire .shaped former to make e plurality of annular plies of cord with the mrd len .hs in one plyr being at an angie. to those 1n its adjacent ply, and applying pressure to Aaportion of each cord' length following the i laying of such portion to 5o canse it to be flattened in the region of the tread.

7. The process of making tire casings, consisting of laying about an annular subi -stantially tire shaped former cord lengths to form a ply, thereafter surmounting this vwith another ply of cord lengths, thereafter completing the formation of the casing and "yuleanizing it, and during the scribed fiattening each cord in t e vicinity of, the tread. t

8. The process of making tire casi) ls comprising windingspirally about an annular former a cord to make a ily, winding over this a second ply with the cords extending at substantially right angles to those of the first ply, slittingl the two plies on the inner periphery of t e former, applying the beads and thread ortions and vnlcanizing the casing, and during the process described attenin the cord by external pressure opposed by tie former.

4comprising winding spirally about a former a hollow twisted rubber impregnated cord, and after said cord is in place flattening the same.

12. The process of making tire casings consisting of winding spirally about an annular former a hollow rubber impregnated cord of suilici'ent stiffness to hold its shape while being laid, and after such cord is laid submitting the same to pressure sufficient to flatten the cord.

13. The process of making tire casings, comprising making an annular layer of hol-- low cords, submitting such cords to pressure to Hatten them, and forcing rubber into the spaces betwee them.

14. The pr ess of making tire asings consisting of windin spirally aboutan annular former covere with a rubber envelop a hollow twisted rubber-impregnated cord of sufficient stiffness to hold its shape while being laid, and after the same is laid submitting it `to pressure sufficient to flatten the cord lengths and force some of the rubber of such envelop between adjacent lengths.

15. The process of il( making tire casing comprising laying a, )ly ofhollow cords, flattening such cords y pressure after the cordare in piace, andcoveringsnchcords with a -sheet of rubberwhich is Vpressed into the spaces betweenl the cords.

16. The process of making tire4 casings comprisin forming a layer of spirally wound ho low cord, {iatteningl such cord when in place, surmounting t e same by a sheet of rubber and covering this with a second layer of hollow cords extending in a dia onally opposite direction and flattening t e latter cords when in place.

171 The process of making tire casings consisting of winding a cord about an annular former to make'a layer of cords, fiattenng portions of 'such cords follown the laying of the sans. by pressure directe ini" wardly toward the former, severing theehnular tube produced along the inner pe- 130 i tube produced along the inner periphery thereof, and turning out the edges ad1acent to the severing line to form beads.

19. The rocess of making tire casings having cords in two plies only, consisting of laying lengths of relatively large cord side by side about a 1tire shaped former for each ply and flattening such cord in the vicinity of the tread portion following the laying thereof.

20. The rocess of making tire casings having cor s fin two plies only, consisting of laying lengths of relative] large cord side by side, about a substantialy'tire shaped former flattening such cord lengths at the tread portion after they are laid,'surmount ing such ply of cords by a second ply of large cord, the individuals of which cross the individuals of the first ply, flattening the second ply, and placing ru ber outside of the second ply.

21. The herein described method of manufacturing a tire casing carcass consistin of wrapping a plurality of superimposed p ies of arallel iiexible cords completel around a rlng core; then flattening the cor s in that portion of their lengths disposed at the apex of the carcass; then slitting the carcass thus formed along its inner' circumference and removing the ring core.

22. The herein described method of manufacturing an outer tire casing consisting in applying to a ring core of circular cross section a plurality of plies of parallel iiexible cords so as'to-completely encircle the ring core; the cords of each ply being laid at an angle in respect to the circumferential surface of the core, and the cords of the plies bein at a reverse angle in respect to one anot er; then flattenin the cords along the apex of the carcass w ile in place on the core substantially as described.

' 23. The processof makin tire casin s comprisin the laying of cor lengths si e by side a out va substantially tire sha ed former, the cord lengths being round .w en the laying of them begins, and Hattening vsuch cord lengths against the former in the .low twisted rubberixnpre Veach cord being flattened 1n certain regions region of the tread before vulcanizatic'a of the carcass. I

24. The process of makin tire casings comprising laying al plura ity of cord lengths about a tire-shaped fol-mer, to build eventually a plurality of plies of cord, and pressing each length at lts tread portion against such former to flatten it in place before the casing is vulcanized.

25. The process of making tire casings comprising winding cord about a former to make a ply thereof, surmounting such ly by another ply of cord, adding the rubr tread portion and vulcanizing the cas ing, and widening said cords'by pressure in the vicinity ofthe tread after the laying begins and before vulcanization.

26; The process of making tire casings consisting of makin an annular substantially tire shaped pv of soft cords lying side by side said cords havin suilicient stiffness to old their shape w ile bein laid, and flattening portions of each co after such portions are laid, and thereafter repeating the operation for another` ply with the cords Vextending at an angle to those of the first ply, then completing the casing and vulcanizing it. Y

27. The process of making tire casings comprising la ing about an annular former a plurality o lies each consistin of hollow cord' lengt s side b side, an Hattening portions of each cor after such portion is laid.

28.4 The process of making tire casings comprising la in about an annular former a plurality o plies each consisting of holated cords, and

after such former.

29. The process of making tire casings consisting of wind' onto an annular former a hollow twiste rubber-treated cord to make a layer of cord lengths side by side, and winding about the layer described a region has been placed about the second layer of hollow twisted rubbertreated cord, with the cord lengths extending at an angle to the lengths of the rst ply,l and thereafter completing the formation of the casing and vulcamzin during the operation described the cords in thelregion of the tread.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ailix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES D. TEW. Witnesses:

WALTER K. Means; ILLA N. Kuur.

attening it, and 

